PDP leader released on bail
THE NIA HAD arrested Parra on November 25 for his alleged “close links” with Kashmiri lawyer Irfan Shafi Mir, who was arrested by the police along with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq, another militant Asif Ahmed Rather and tainted J&K police officer Davinder Singh.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader Waheed Ur Rehman Parra was on Saturday released from over six week long detection after a special court of National Investigation Agency (NIA) at Jammu granted him bail.
The NIA had arrested Mr. Parra on November 25 for his alleged “close links” with Kashmiri lawyer Irfan Shafi Mir, who was arrested by the police along with Hizb-ulMujahideen commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu, another militant Asif Ahmed Rather and tainted J&K police officer Davinder Singh in January last year.
Since the arrest had come merely two days after Mr. Parra’s filing his nomination papers for J&K’s maiden District Development Council (DDC) elections, the PDP had termed the NIA’s action as a political blackmail of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr. Parra subsequently won this election with a significant margin of votes from a segment of home district Pulwama while still in NIA custody. However, he wasn’t allowed to take the oath as a member even via online mode despite a directive from the court.
The NIA had, however, maintained that Mr. Parra was arrested by it “in connection with the Naveed Babu-Davinder Singh case for supporting Hizb-ulMujahideen in conspiracy with the other accused persons.”
Mr. Parra was on December 20 sent to a 30day judicial remand by a special judge of the NIA. A team of Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a wing of J&K police, carried out a raid at his home in Pulwama on December 30.
Late Saturday night, PDP president and former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, informed that Mr. Parra has been detained by an Intelligence wing of the J&K police now and while questioning it's legality she sought Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha’s intervention in the matter.
She tweeted, “Despite NIA Court granting bail to @parawahid after thorough court proceedings, he has now been detained by CIK in Jammu. Under what law & for what crime has he been arrested? This is brazen contempt of court. Request @manojsinha_ ji to intervene so that justice is served."
Earlier this week, the NIA had sought the details of his properties in Srinagar from the J&K police.
According to the agency, during the investigations into Singh’s association with the Hizb militants, it came across phone records of Mir which showed that he was in close contact with Mr. Parra. The NIA sources had added that Mir had claimed during questioning that Mr. Parra sought his support during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections for his party candidate Mehbooba Mufti.
Singh who last served as Deputy Superintendent of Police at the AntiHijacking Squad at the Srinagar International Airport is facing charges under various anti terror laws for helping separatist militants back home.